Ash receiver or the like



13, 1956 G. D. LEGGE 2,770,388

ASH RECEIVER 0R THE LIKE:

Filed Dec. 2, 195s INVENTOF.I

ATTORNEY United States Patent O ASI-I RECEIVER R THE LIKE George D. Legge, Van Dyke, Mich., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application December 2, 1953, Serial No. 395,774

2 Claims. (Cl. 220-18) This invention relates to ash receivers and other receptacles and particularly to those -receptacles which are housed or recessed within a walled member and are adapted to be partially withdrawn for use.

Receptacles of the bin type and others are commonly employed as ash receivers in passenger carrying vehicles and are generally mounted within seat backs, arm rests, instrument panels, and the like convenient to the users of such receptacles. Over center snap springs and similar biasing means have generally been used with such receptacles to maintain the receptacles in a more secure open or closed position and to prevent rattling of the structure in either such position. These biasing means have not been overly satisfactory in that considerable effort is required to either open or close the receptacle as well as to move the receptacle between the open and closed positions. The added eifort required to move the receptacle as well as the snap action resulting once motion has been initiated is of considerable annoyance to the users of such receptacles. The snap action also further serves to magnify the tinniness of the receptacle where the structure has been cheaply constructed.

It is now proposed to provide a receptacle which may be firmly retained in either the open or closed position and which is smoothly operable between such positions without snap action. It is further provided that no greater effort is required for opening the receptacle than is necessary for closing the same. Biasing means have been provided which are freely exible at both the open and closed positions and which are in engagement with the receptacle at all times. The proposed structure is further provided with damping features for deadening rattling and vibrating sounds heretofore experienced in most inexpensively manufactured receptacles. This present receptacle is not only inexpensively manufactured but 1s easily assembled, comprising no complicated or intricate parts, is highly durable and is simple to operate.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a front View of an ash receptacle housed within a stationary member and having parts broken away to more clearly show the structural features of such receptacle.

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view taken in the plane of line 2-2 of Figure 1 and viewed in the direction of the arrows thereon.

Figure 3 is -a cross sectional view taken in the plane of line 3-3 of Figure 2 and viewed in the direction of the arrows thereon.

Figure 4 is van isometric View of the spring biasing means employed with the proposed structure.

An ash receiver assembly such as is shown in Figures 1 and 2 of ythe drawings is adapted to be secured within an opening 12 formed within a seat back, instrument panel or other stationary member 14. A bracket 16 is secured across the back of the `opening 12 and a housing member 18 is secured thereto as by fastening means 20. The sides 22 of the housing member 18 about the frontal opening 24 formed therein are flared out- ICC wardly and bent over to engage the sides of the stationary member 14 within which the housing is secured. Sound absorbing material 26 is secured to the inner faces of the sides 22 engaging the stationary member.

An ash receptacle 28 is adapted to be mounted within the housing 18 and has a yoke or fork 30 formed at each side and near the bottom thereof for engagement with pins 32 secured to the side walls of the housing 18. The receptacle 28 is thus pivotally mounted within the housing 18 about ,an axis between the pins 32. The receptacle 28 includes two side members 34, a top or shelf member 36 and a front or cover plate 38 secured together to form an open box-like structure. The shelf 36 secured across the top of the receptacle 28 is provided with openings 40 adapted to receive a cigarette lighter 42 and an ash retainer or `bin 44. The lighter 42 and bin 44 are housed within the receptacle 28 with their upper ends retained on the shelf 36. Flanges 46 may be formed about the lighter 42 or bin 44 and spring fingers 48 may be formed from the shelf 36 as shown in Figure 2 to assist in holding the lighter and bin in position. The cover plate 38 of `the receptacle 28 is spaced apart from the bin 44 and is lined with sound absorbing material `49. The cover plate 38 is adapted to llie ush within the housing member 18 when the receptacle 28 is in the closed position and is adapted to engage bumper members 50 secured to the housing 18 near each side of the receptacle 28 when the receptacle is so positioned.

The cover plate 38 ex-tends above the shelf 36 and has a handle 52 formed along its upper edge to enable removing the receptacle from the housing 18. Near the back of the receptacle 28 the shelf 36 is turned up wardly as at 54 and bent over at its outer extremity to hold a shaft 56 upon which are mounted rollers 58, The rollers 58 are rotatable about the shaft 56 within cutout portions 60 of lthe upturned portion 54 of the shelf 36. A leaf spring 62 is secured to the back of the housing by rivets or other means 64 and is bent at right angles to extend out over the receptacle 28.

The leaf spring 62 includes a central portion 66 extending outwardly over the receptacle 28 between the receptacle and the top of the housing member 18. Side portions 68 are formed from the extended portion 66 of the spring and are separated therefrom along their length except `at the outer extremity of the spring. The outermost ends 70 and 72 of the side portions 68 are curled or rolled over and adapted to receive the roller members 58 in the open and closed position, respectively, of the receptacle 28. The outer extremity of the extended portion 66 is also curled over but only as a matter of convenience in manufacture.

When the receptacle 28 is mounted within the housing 18 the side portions 68 of the spring member 62, being bent out of the plane of the extended portion 66, engage the -rollers 58 at one end 70 thereof. As 4the receptacle 28 is moved to the open position the rollers S8 travel along the side portions 68 of the spring member 62 towards the other ends 72 of the side portions. Both ends 70 and 72 of the side portions 68 are freely exible. The one end 70 has a exible length equal to the length of the extended portion 66 and the side portion 68 and the other end 72 has a flexible length equal lto the length of the extended portion 66 alone. The side. portions 68 are in constant engagement with the rollers 58 to heid the receptacle secure against rattling or vibrating. The sound absorbing material 26 and 48 and bumpers 50 further assist in preventing the receptacle from acting as a sounding member. Little effort is required to move the rollers 58 along the side portions 68 of the spring 62 or from within the curled ends 70 and 72 `thereof since the side portions are freely flexible at both ends.

I claim:

1. An ash receiver assembly including a recessed housing member, a receptacle member mounted within said housing member and adapted for relative movement with respect thereto, and means for biasing said members in rattle-free engagement which includes, a leaf spring having one end securedto the back of said housing member and theother end thereof disposed forwardly in spaced relation between said housing and receptacle members, spring lingers formed integrally with said other end of said leaf spring andextended along the side edges thereof in substantially parallel spaced coplanar relation thereto and towards the securedY end thereof, and means provided on said receptacle member for cooperative biased engagementwith said spring lingers during the relative movement thereof of said leafspring each being formed near the terminal ends thereof for cooperative engagement with said last-mentioned means for retaining said receptacle in closed and open positions respectively.

2. Means for biasing members in rattle-free engagement during their relative movement and for limiting the extent of relative movement therebetween which includes, a leaf spring member having opposite ends bent and eX- tended substantially at right angles, the one end of said spring member including means for securing said one end to one of said relatively movable members and the other end of said spring member being free to extend in spaced relation between said relatively movable members, spring fingers formed from the side edges of said free end of said spring member and extended in spaced relation thereto and out of the plane thereof towards the secu-red end of said spring member, the terminal ends of said spring lingers being bent up towards said free end of said spring member and the terminal end of said free end of said spring member being rolled over to provide stops adapted for engagement by said one movable member for limiting the open and closed disposition thereof relative to the other of said relatively movable members.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 71,772 Mackey Dec. 3, 1867 925,936 Moon June 22, 1909 983,475 Bjurlund Feb. 7, 1911 1,154,399 Hull Sept. 2l, 1915 1,783,563 Forshee Dec. 2, 1930 2,201,333 Carlson May 21, 1940 2,294,173 Gillisse Aug. 25, 1942 2,330,417 Gillisse et al Sept. 28, 1943 2,639,055 Carlson May 19, 1953 

